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Bullet Journaling: My Favorite Supplies

As I mentioned in my last post, all you really need to Bullet Journal is a notebook and a pen (or pencil).

Once you’ve gotten more comfortable with system, you might want to branch out a little bit. I like to use my Bullet Journal as a creative outlet, and these are some of my favorite supplies.

Notebooks: My favorite size notebook to Bullet Journal in is 5.5 x 8 inches, which is also called an A5 journal. I find this size to be portable, as well as having the ideal amount of spaces to do planning for 30 days in list form.

Journals come in a variety of types: lined, dot grid, and grid. You can also get blank pages if you prefer a more free form page. My three favorite journals at the moment are: a Leuchtturm1917 dot grid, a Rhodia Rhodiarama, which is lined, and a Filofax A5 Notebook, which comes with lined pages but to which you can add blank or grid pages as well. In the photo above, the Leuchtturm is the berry colored journal, and the one I use for my personal Bullet Journal. The Rhodiarama is the teal colored journal, and I am using it for handwriting practice, as the pages hold up beautifully to fountain pen ink. The Filofax is the green journal, and I am using that to organize my Getting Things Done lists. Any one of these journals would make a great Bullet Journal, and you can experiment with different journals until you find your perfect journal.

Markers: As a creative artist, I own a lot of different markers. Some are for drawing, some are for scrapbooking, and some get used in a multitude of different roles. I experimented with my journals to discover which markers worked best with the paper in terms of bleed through and ghosting (when the color shows through on the other side). These markers are the ones I use most:

PITT Artist Pens in a superfine tip (S); assorted colors. I use a super fine black pen for my every day writing. I also use a fine tip (F) when I want to make grids or banners etc. I started with the multipack in black for my everyday pen use, and narrowed down my options from there.

STEADTLER triplus fineliner: all the colors. Art is one of my first loves, and color speaks to my heart. I splurged and bought the 36 pack, although I rarely, if ever, use the neon colors in my Bullet Journal. I do use them for my college work. These are my most used pens for writing with color, and they hold up well in all the journals I’ve tried them in so far. If you go over letters a few time, there can be some bleed through on finer paper.

STEADTLER triplus color: I also have a set of Steadtler triplus markers in a fatter tip than the fineliner. They are great for adding topics to the top of your daily pages, making goal setting charts at the end of the year, and also using in adult coloring books, that is one of your self-care activities.

Martha Stewart Arts and Craft Markers: These are my favorite markers for adding color to banners, or boxes or whatever. They are opaque enough that you can see whatever marker you used to draw the item below, and they don’t ghost or bleed at all. I got them at Michael’s for scrapbooking years and years ago, and they have been discontinued.

Tombow Markers: Dual Brush and Twin Tone: These are perfect for adding color and doing fancy lettering in either your bullet journal, or other creative endeavors.

Everything else: The rest of these items are not necessary, but they make my Bullet Journaling experience a little easier.

Westcott Mini Ruler: What I love about this little ruler is that it has a cork strip on the back, which keeps it from sliding on my pages when I use it. Also, it’s small enough to fit in my pen pouch.

Correction Tape: These little runners are great. I used to stress out out about mistakes in my Bullet Journal. I have since learned to let them go (I’m a recovering perfectionist), and I just cover them up with the tape and write over them. The correction tape is not quite the same color as my pages, but I don’t sweat it. Once you write over it you mostly can’t tell.

Tape Runner: I have used many different brands, all with great success. I usually just grab whichever one is closest, having started with spares I kept in my scrapbooking basket. These are handy for things you want to print out and insert into your Bullet Journal. I use mine for the monthly calendar pages I keep track of my coursework for college on.

Mini Scissors: These are from Martha Stewart, whose line has been discontinued. Any small scissor will do. I like that the tip has a cover, which keeps them sharp, and protects my hand and my pouch.

Mini Stapler: Why do you need a stapler when you have a tape runner you ask? Sometimes one is better than the other.

You will find as you go on, you will add items into your “must have” collection. It might be washi tape, or stickers. You might like to use post-it-notes or scrapbooking supplies. That is the joy of the Bullet Journal. It is customizable to each person’s individual tastes.

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